Some of history’s most distinguished scientists have sought answers to questions about the nature of light for centuries. For the ancient Egyptians, light emanated from the eyes of Ra, their supreme god (the Sun), and from the Moon. Pythagoras, in ancient Greece, believed that the inner fire of human eyes illuminated the world. More than 2,000 years passed before Albert Einstein demonstrated that light is made of photons.

Today, scientists focus on the study of quantum phenomena related to light. The Vision Quantum project, supported by Pioneer Science, brings together neuroscience and physics to study whether and how our visual system perceives quantum phenomena – once again, questioning and seeking to build new knowledge about what light is and how it relates to our vision.

In this infographic, we present a timeline highlighting some of the milestones in the history of light in science.

Read more about the Quantum Vision project and about the quantum nature of light in the interview with Gabriela Lemos.